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Subway stories

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People have strong feelings about eating on the subway, as shown by the recent 'subway spaghetti' incident that spawned a fight on an underground train in New York. Here, a man wolfs down some Chinese food on a New York subway train in 1997. Frances M. Roberts/Newscom/File

You're riding along, minding your own business, when all of a sudden a Shakespeare play starts up right in front of you. Performing duo Paul Marino and Fred Jones, known as 'Popeye and Cloudy,' act out short excerpts of 'Hamlet' on New York's R Subway line on Feb. 28. Anthony Behar/Sipa Press/Newscom

Taking a cat nap is a cramped option for these two men on a New York subway train in 1999. Paul Treacy/Sipa Press/StreetLevel/Newscom/File

A man sleeps across several seats, taking up some serious real estate on a New York subway train in 2006. John Marshall Mantel/Sipa Press/Newscom/File

Studiously ignored by everyone aboard the M train between Herald Square and Times Square, an NYPD counter-terror patrol officer rides the New York subway in 2010. J.B Nicholas/Splash News/NewscomFile

Living in New York means mastering the art of being in close quarters with other people. Tamiek Steele 'B/Boy LJ' performs acrobatic tricks on the subway while passengers watch in 2010. Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom/File

Somehow this has a higher 'ick' factor than eating spaghetti on a train. People ride the subway without trousers during an event called 'No Pants Subway Ride' in New York on Jan. 9. The event, which started in 2002 in 50 cities around the world, stresses that everybody should 'keep a straight face about it.' Wu Kaixiang/Xinhua/Photoshot/Newscom/File

Many a conversation has been started over literature while reading on the subway. Dating websites even give advice about which titles will get more attention from potential suitors. Ajiri A. Aki reads 'The Girl Who Played with Fire' on the F train in Brooklyn on January 24. Ann Hermes/Staff

You can get your news fix just by scanning somebody else's headlines, but try not to let him see you reading over his shoulder. A passenger aboard the M train heading from Brooklyn into Manhattan reads a newspaper in New York in 2010. J.B Nicholas/Splash News/Newscom/File

The first time you hear Mariachi musicians on a subway train, it's a hoot. But on a daily commute, not so much. A bassist and a guitarist take a break from their set on the New York subway. Brent Winebrenner/Lonely Planet Images/Newscom/File

Forget the 1% and OWS. The new key number in life for the people of Los Angeles is 3%. In Los Angeles, it is easy to evade paying for riding the subway. Turnstiles are unlocked, security is lax and commuters often hop over or pass through undetected (source). Why has the LA Metro chosen not to invest in the basic public transit infrastructure (such as monitoring turnstiles) that New Yorkers take for granted? The answer is, as reported by the LA Times, that the Metro Authority assumes that only 3% of riders are evading fares! Talk about the honor code! Gary Becker wouldn't be surprised to find that there is more crime where there is less punishment. The honor code is honorable but unreasonable.